Steam-table



lJNTTnn STATE PATENT Urricn.

GEORGE XV. KELLEY, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

STEAM -TAB LE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,591, dated October 26, 1897.

Application filed March 17,1897. beriaINo. 627,974. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. KELLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Tables; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to improvements in steam-tables for keeping viands warm in hotels,restaurants,dining-roon1s,and the like; and the object is to provide a simple, convenient, and effective device'for this purpose.

To these ends the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference-characters indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved steam-table as it appears complete and ready for use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the steam-table detached from the heater. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same on the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the top of the heater.

1 represents the top of an ordinary stove or range, and 2 represents a conical cylindrical boiler or heater provided with a vertical glass water-gage 3.

at represents a cylindrical feed-water tank located on top of said heater and provided with an outlet-pipe 5, having a cock 6, and connected by a flexible pipe 7 with feed inlet-pipe 8, communicating with the bottom portion of the heater 2. This pipe 8 is also provided with a cock 9.

10 represents a blow-off or relief cock located in the upper end of the heater 2.

12 represents a steam-supply pipe extending vertically through the feed-water tank 4 andprojecting into the steam-space of the heater 2, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

13 14 represent the semicircular hinged covers of the feed-water tank 4, having contiguous semicircular orifices 15 to snugly engage the pipe 12.

vided with a closed horizontal bottom 18, vertical parallel Walls 19, and a removable and comparatively steam-tight cover 20. This cover 20 is provided with an external handle 21 and a continuous depending flange 22, the

rear longitudinal half of which is turned upward to form a gutter 23.

21 24 represent angle-brackets secured on the inside of the chamber 17 to form a support for the removable tray 25, the inner ends of which are provided with horizontal handles 26 26 for conveniently manipulating it. About half-way up the inner side of the ends of this tray are fixed the angle-brackets 27 27, which form a support for a second removable tray 28, which is likewise provided with handles 29 29 for removing and inserting it in the first-mentioned tray.

3O 30 represent a series of orifices in the walls of both trays, and they are each protected byafine-wire-ganze diaphragm. These orifices 3O permit the steam to pass up between the wall 19 and the sides of the trays 25 and 28, and the fine wire-gauze is to prevent the saturated steam passing into the trays, the tendency of the steam being to condense on the gauze and only permit enough of the comparatively dry steam to enter the trays and supply the food therein contained with enough moisture to supply that lost by evaporation and keep it in a proper palatable condition.

31 represents an inlet-tube communicating with the hot-water space 32, its upper end terminating in a cup-shaped socket 33, eX- ternally threaded to receive the screw-cap 34L to form a steam-tight connection between the lower end of the supply-pipe 12 and the socket 33, the pipe being suitably connected in the cap 34: to form a tight joint and at the same time permit the cap to revolve to detachably connect the pipe with the socket. A second inlet-tube 31 is provided at the opposite end of the heater, and it is provided with a removable blind-cap 33, so that the supplypipe 12 may be connected at either end of the table.

w front of the steam-table to indicate the amount 3.4 represents a Water-gage connected to the is a series of vertical tubes fixed. in said diaphragm, forming a passage for the steam from the hot-water space 32 to the trays above.

37 and 38 represent a series of horizontal rectangular drawers sliding on the diaphragm 35, the outer ones 38 38 being provided with faucets 39 39 and are intended for keeping tea and coffee hot and ready for serving at a moments notice, While the remaining drawers can be used for vegetables, side dishes, and the like.

The main tray is adapted to contain a roast joint of meat, roast turkey, or similar articles, and the second tray 28 is for keeping bread, rolls, &c., hot and ready for use when ordered.

40 represents a drip-cock for removing the condensed steam from above the diaphragm 35, and 41 is a discharge-pipe extending downwardly into a receptacle 42, and its upper end terminates in an overflow-pipe 43 in the hot- Water space 32. The hot water may be taken from the receptacle 42 and emptied into the feed-water tank 4, and the steam in the supply-pipe passing centrally through said tank 4 maintains the feed-water at a proper temperature to'be fed to the boiler 2, which may be readily done from time to time by means of the pipe 7 and the cooks 6 and 9.

Although I have specifically described my invention, I do not wish to be confined to the particular construction herein set forth, as various modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful,and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In a steaming-table, the combination of a steam-supply chamber, a steaming-chamber above the steam-supply chamber, anda warming-chamber above the steaming-chamber, the bottom of the warming-chamber constituting the top of the steaming-chamber, and steamsupply tubes which provide communication between the steam-supply chamber and the steaming-chamber,'the steamin g-chamber being provided with food-receptacles of such height as to leave a steam-space thereabove as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. KELLEY, Witnesses:

D. O. FINNEY, NELLIE M. STONE. 

